BRAVE: A 3-Day Devotional From Danny Gokeyનમૂનો

Brave

“But the COWARDLY, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8 NIV

We don’t typically look at cowardice as a sin, but this verse throws it in with what most consider some of the biggest ones. Dictionary.com defines it as not just lacking courage, but as “contemptibly timid.” This is the only time the word coward is mentioned in the Bible, but fear is referenced over 300 times, and it is said that we are told not to fear 365 times - one for every day of the year. Fear, or the lack thereof, seems like a pretty big deal to God! Fear in and of itself is not bad. There are things we should be afraid of. But what do we do with the things God tells us not to fear? Do we let them shut us down, or do we take it to Him, believing that "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Cowardice is a fear of man rather than God. That fear comes with a considerably harsh warning in Proverbs 29:24. “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.”‭‭

Cowardice and fear of man is one of the main things that keeps people from having the faith required to boldly withstand struggles and follow God wherever He leads. The opposite of cowardice is bravery, or courage, which dictionary.com defines as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.” Every mention of bravery in the Bible is in conjunction with warriors going into battle. Of course, most of us won’t have to experience physical battles but, we do face spiritual battles every day.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Ephesians 6:12

The enemy would like nothing more than for us to be silenced by fear. The question is, will we stay quiet or will we stand up for what God says is true? America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but that will only remain if we continue to use our voices to declare truth.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.For,
‘In just a little while,
He who is coming will come
and will not delay.’
And, ‘But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.’
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”
(Hebrews 10:35-39)

Don’t shrink back. Brave men and women died for the sake of our freedom today. What are we willing to sacrifice to keep it for our children, our family, and our country in the future?